It is often needed with fishing reels that the spools for receiving the line are designed replaceable for diverse modes of operation. With known reels, particularly of the special type, involving the dual-mode system either costly replacement spools have to be used or a body of the spool having a very large inner diameter (large core spools) is needed so that the spool can be slipped over the mechanical assembly. Separating these replacement spools from the mechanical assembly is usually highly complicated and/or only possible with some special tool.
The present invention is based on the object of providing a fishing reel which does away with the drawbacks associated with prior art reels. The present invention is especially based on the object of providing a fishing reel which now makes it possible to reduce the costs of replacement spools whilst making use of a small body of the spool.
This object is achieved by a fishing reel of the aforementioned kind characterized in that said removable shaft is axially located in the hub part by means of at least one releasable detent connection and is non-rotatably retained in the body of the spool by means of at least one positive connection.
The reel in accordance with the invention now facilitates removing the spool simply by removing its supporting shaft. In one preferred embodiment of the reel in accordance with the invention the shaft comprises at least one resilient pretensioned detent, preferably at least one detent mount being provided in the inner circumferential surface of the hub part of the body of the spool to snap locate the detent.
Preferably at least one detent is a ball snap loaded in its guide by a compression spring. Such resilient pretensioned detents now makes it possible to change the spool greatly facilitated since the force needed to withdraw the spool from the shaft or to mount the spool on the shaft (until it snaps into place) is now a minimum.
To advantage the at least one detent mount is a groove, preferably an annular groove. Machining such a groove in the inner circumference of the core is simple when manufacturing the body of the spool. In addition to this such a groove has the advantage that the detents, particularly pressurized balls permit snap location anywhere in the groove.
Instead of a detent as described above an O-ring of a resilient material (for example rubber) may be provided.
In another preferred embodiment of the reel in accordance with the invention the shaft comprises at least one slave element, preferably a key, tang or pin engaging a depression, preferably a groove running in the longitudinal direction of the hub part in the inner circumferential surface of the reel mechanical assembly for a positive connection with the body of the spool. The slave element may be, for example, releasably connected to the shaft (e.g. screw-threaded). The depression in cooperation with the slave element preferably extends to an outer end of the inner circumferential surface of the hub part up to roughly the middle of the hub part. The width of the depression is dimensioned so that the slave element has a minimum or even zero play therein.
Preferably the hub part has at one end a larger inner diameter than at the other end, the inner circumference of the hub part being preferably configured stepped. As a rule the inner diameter of the hub part is stepped from one end to the other by at least one, preferably three steps. The inner diameter may also be tapered. Reducing the inner diameter from one end to the other achieves, among other things, that the shaft can be inserted from one side of the hub part only since the outer diameter of the shaft at its widest location exceeds the inner diameter of the hub part and one of the two ends. There is thus never the risk of the shaft being inserted into the body of the spool the “wrong way round”.
To advantage the shaft comprises a housing accommodating the reel mechanical assembly and on which preferably the male detent, slave element for the detent or positive connection with the body of the spool are arranged. The shaft or its housing must not necessarily be configured fully enclosed, i.e. the shaft or housing may be engineered skeletonized to save weight.
To advantage the shaft comprises at least one stabilizing ring, arranged for example substantially in the middle of the shaft. As a rule such a ring is engineered in one piece with the piece or housing of the shaft in serving to mount the body of the spool in preventing bending thereof, for instance, when paying in the line loaded (for example when playing a catch).
As a rule a handle is fitted to one end of the shaft for actuating the reel. The handle may be fitted replaceable to the shaft.
As a rule the shaft is releasably connected, preferably screw-threaded at one end with a spool housing which, as a rule, comprises a foot connecting the reel as a whole to the rod interconnected by the two elements. Engineering the shaft in releasable connection with the spool housing greatly facilitates fitting and removing the reel.
Preferably the spool comprises at the outer side of a spool wall a spring, arranged particularly at the outer side of the spool at which the shaft is connected to the spool housing. The cited spring defines the body of the spool relative to the rigid housing with excessive axial pressure so that the detents always return the body of the spool to the wanted axial position. It is this spring that greatly restricts the play of the spool in the structure as a whole so that detents remain in their detented position even with excessive axial pressure.
Preferably the shaft has a larger diameter in an inner portion than in the region of the end which is releasably connected to the spool housing which, as already indicated above, results in the advantage that the shaft can only be inserted from one side into the spool housing.
Further features of the invention read from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the drawing and sub-claims, it being understood that each of the features may be achieved by itself or in any combination with each other.